


The Siren

by happyjoylucky



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Captain louis, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Girl Direction, How Do I Tag, Jealousy, Kinks, Lesbian Sex, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Near Death Experience, Nick Grimshaw is barely there, Pirate Liam, Pirate Louis, Smut, Virgin Harry, bi louis, but ill warn beforehand, harry admires louis kind of, harry and niall are nobility, im not even sorry, larry if that wasnt clear, lesbian harry, mention of Caroline Flack, yeah lots of sexy stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-08
Updated: 2017-09-29
Packaged: 2018-04-25 10:13:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4956349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happyjoylucky/pseuds/happyjoylucky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry is of noble birth and has heard tales of pirates all of her life. But what was supposed to be tales of warning turned into tales of fascination and fed her craving for adventure from a dull life of nobility. When she finally gets to see a pirate in the flesh, she gets more than she bargained for </p><p>or </p><p>A Pirate! and Girl! Direction AU inspired by my Halloween costume and imagination</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work on here so be gentle. I love constructive criticism so that's always welcome. Also just comments in general are welcome. I came up with this idea while reading a lot of girl direction fics as well as getting ready for Halloween. As you can guess I am going to be a pirate. Happy reading!
> 
> Warnings: mentions of hanging/execution

_Beware the Sirens call_

_Her song can conquer all_

_Her wrath is great_

_Her voice the bait_

_Which lures men to their unlucky fate_

_She hath no mercy on any soul_

_Her heart is blackened ‘kin to coal_

_You’ll wished you prayed_

_Your soul to trade_

_When in your watery grave you wade_

            I gasped for air as my handmaiden, Cara tightened the strings of my corset once more. “I’m sorry, m’lady.” She apologizes tying off the strings at the top.

“It’s alright, Cara. I suppose I will never get used to the corset and the pain that comes with it.” I try to get used to breathing with the constriction around my torso. Once she’s done she hands me my cap and place it just over the neatly done pile of curls on the crown of my head.

 

“You must go now m’lady.” Cara ushers me towards the door. I walk swiftly, holding the heavy layers of my dress and avoid getting caught in the door because of my petticoat.

 

“Where is she? We told her to be ready by half noon.” My father’s voice echoes through the house.

            “I’m here. I’m sorry mother, father.”

            “Decent.” My father says gruffly, motioning for our butler to open the door.

            “What are you talking about, Desmond, she looks beautiful.” My mother smiles.

            He makes a grumbling noise, “Come, it is a long journey to the island.”

            My mother hooks her arm in my father’s and I follow. My mom straightens my skirts once I get into the coach. I hear our coachmen snap the reigns and we’re on our way.

            “I must say I’m pleased that you finally decided to come along to a hanging, Harry.” My father smiles, “I was beginning to think that you weren’t interested in the aspect of justice.” He laughs at the thought.

            I hold back a frown—it’s a ridiculous statement, “Of course I believe in justice father. Especially for a low-life pirate.” Pirates are the lowest, grimiest, saddest excuse for a form of life. They steal, they’re greedy, they have extremely poor hygiene, and they have no morals whatsoever. At least that’s what we’re taught when we’re younger. I don’t think all pirates are bad really. In fact I think their lives are rather exciting—never staying in one place and getting to travel the world, sword fighting, raiding. Everything about it seemed so adventurous and wonderful. But as a lady, I’m meant to be quiet and polite and quaint. And as nobility, I stand for what’s fair to society.

But today, we are going to Hangman’s Island to attend the hanging of a pirate. One who is—or was—a member of the most well known and most feared pirate ship The Siren.

             The pirates of The Siren were the fiercest beings alive. They’ve robbed hundreds of British ships and more of the Spanish and French. Every child and person has heard of the tales of the Siren. As told by the tales, one hears the beautiful voice of a siren before the ships canon’s fire and then there’s nothing. Or that’s the story my mother used to tell me.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

            I keep a hand over top of my cap as the wind gusts over the ship. I close my eyes and breathe in the salty air of the sea. If there was one thing I loved in my strict life, it was the short time I had sailing on the ocean. We would sometimes go to a separate island for the summer for holiday. The journey by ship was very brief but I recall it as the very best few hours of my life. When I open my eyes, I see Hangman’s Island in the distance. I feel a small shock of excitement go through me. I couldn’t wait to see the pirate. An actual pirate.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

            We reach the large balcony of the building across from the hanging gibbet and overlooking the crowd that had gathered there. While attempting to get to the front of the balcony I bump into another person.

 

            “Oh, forgive me I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and—” I look up to see the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. Like the most rare of sapphires or the ocean, calm after a storm. She’s extremely beautiful, her cheekbones are high and sharp and her lips are lovely and pink.

 

            The woman smiles and curtsies, “You’re forgiven, love. No harm done to my dress I hope.” She looks down to assess any damage on her pale cream-colored dress then shrugged. I watch her lips move but I can’t bring myself to speak still.

 

            “Are you alright?” she asks, her lips quirked into a knowing smile. Of course she knew what I was staring at, she must know how attractive she is. Instead of replying I do something idiotic and take off in the opposite direction.

 

            I find my parents standing off to my right and I rush over to them, trying to catch my breath. I’m sure I just had some kind of brush with death and that woman was an angel ready to deliver me from Hell.

 

            “Lord and Lady Styles, how are you?” We look to our left where we see Earl and Lady Horan and their daughter Niall.

 

            As our parents converse, I take the seat closest to Niall, “Are you excited to see the pirate?”

            She beams at me, her blonde waves swishing as she nods her head, “I could barely wait on the ship here and I was nearly bouncing in my seat.”

            “Me too. I can’t believe they were able to capture a member of The Siren. It’s unthinkable!”

 

            She smiles at me, “Speaking of unthinkable, there’s a rumor going around that you fooled around with Lady Flack at the ball last week.”

 

            I feign a shocked expression, “Whatever gives you that idea? I like boys.” I grin at the joke. I look around hoping no one heard our conversation, but when I look past Niall I see the woman with the blue eyes smiling at me. My eyes snap down to my hands.

 

            She scoffs, “Yeah and I like wearing corsets tight enough to make my ribs cry.” We giggle quietly until we see the crier making his way to the platform.

 

            He unrolls the scroll and clears his throat before shouting, “Lords and Ladies, nobility, and all who are in attendance. Today, we are here to witness the hanging of the pirate by the name Liam Payne. Liam Payne is found guilty on the charges of piracy, theft, murder—”

 

            “Let’s get on with the hanging!” someone from below yells. The crowd begins to yell and as the crier attempts to speak over them, reading off his offenses, but he gives up. He waves to the hangman, motioning for him to bring over the offender.

 

            I nudge Niall in the side when a figure is dragged over to the gibbet with a black bag over their head. I hold my breath as the hangman stands to the side of the pirate and removes the bag.

 

            A collective gasp comes from the entire crowd—Liam Payne is a woman. There are suddenly shouts and things being thrown towards the gibbet platform. Why the crowd is even angrier at the fact that she’s a woman hardly seems fair. I feel a lot more respect for her, seeing her thievery and seamanship as an accomplishment really.

 

            The hangman shoves her to stand on the crate in from of the noose. She looks quite smug for someone who’s about to be hung in front of nobility. The crowd quiets as soon as she stands on the crate. I lean forward staring at the woman.

 

            “NOW!” we hear someone yell and a gun fires off; everyone screams and ducks, the guards on duty immediately going into action. My father keeps a hand on my back as well as my mothers as he tries to help us move through the crowd and to the staircase. Niall and her parents are following close by, ducked down as well.

 

I hear a clanging sound where grappling hooks are now hanging over the edge of the wall. I look up to see both men and women in worn clothing climbing over the wall of the balcony, wielding swords and guns—pirates!

 

            I’m frozen on the spot when I see them fighting the guards with vigor. I look down to the panicked crowd below, but what catches my eye is the woman in the cream dress, running towards the harbor with Liam Payne.

 

            My eyes widen and I grab Niall’s arm, “Come on!”

 

            “What!” she screeches as I start running towards the staircase with her in tow. We shove past the scrambling people and make it to the bottom. I start sprinting as fast as I can towards the harbor, elbowing my way past people, Niall doing the same.

 

            “Harry!” I turn to see her being scooped up by two pirates, but before I can come to her rescue I’m being picked up myself. I scream and thrash, trying to loosen my captors’ hold on me but suddenly something heavy makes contact with the back of my head and I’m out cold.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

            I’m dreaming that I’m out at sea. It’s more of a memory. One of the first times I went out to sea, to sail to the island for holiday. I fell asleep on the deck with my mum’s hands stroking my hair. I would feel the sway of the boat, almost rocking me to sleep. The waves crashing against the boat and one another were the lullaby.

 

            I hear muffled yelling now and I don’t remember that happening. I open my eyes and don’t find my mother stroking my hair, but I’m met with a dimly lit room lit only with the light coming through a porthole.

 

            A porthole? I sit up quickly but regret it. My head aches all over causing my vision to go fuzzy for a bit. I feel a bump on the back of my head then recall being knocked out. But why? I look around the room and see Niall lying down next to me.

            “Niall!” I yell, shaking her shoulder.

 

            She rolls over onto her back and yawns, “Why’d you wake me? I was having a wonderful dream about breakfast.”

 

            “Niall! I think we’ve been kidnapped!”

 

            She sits up quickly and looks around, “No! By who? What—where—”

 

            A door suddenly opens and slams against a wall, “Ladies, you’re awake.” We look up to see the pirate Liam Payne leaning against the doorway.

 

            “Where are we?” I ask timidly. I didn’t miss the way Niall cowered behind me.

 

            “Welcome aboard the Siren.”

           

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> little bit of sexual tension between Harry and Louis...this is just the beginning ;)

“ _Welcome aboard the Siren_.”

My jaw drops and Niall whimpers into my shoulder.

I have no idea what to think or feel. What happened at the hanging? Was it an ambush?

“I can hear you thinking from here. Come on, stand up. The captain wants to see you.” Liam approaches us but I can hear Niall gasp in surprise as she does.

Liam notices this as well and smirks, “Come on, delicate little dove, there’s nothing to be scared of.” She pops her hip and rests one of her hands on the hilt of her sword.

Niall gasps again, thinking she was going to draw the weapon, I protectively throw my arm in front of her.

“Whoa whoa! I’m not going to hurt you!” she laughs softly, “Sorry bit of a habit.” She motions to her hand on the sword, “But we really must go, the Captain doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” She extends her hand trying to give us a kind smile.

I look to Niall, whose eyes are shiny with tears, but I nod and we both stand up. She’s clinging to me as we follow Liam out of the dark, empty room. We reach a small set of stairs that lead above board. The daylight shines obnoxiously into the darkness below deck and we have to shield our eyes as we make our way up.

The noise of bustling and crashing waves is clear now, no longer muffled. I blink around at the sight. We are indeed on the vessel that is the Siren. And unlike the tales that we’d been told as children, there aren’t grimy men that don filthy clothing and are lazy drunkards. Instead, there are men AND women moving about the ship, actively so.

Liam continues moving to another set of stairs leading up towards the ship’s wheel. She waves us over, smiling. She stops at what is obviously the door to the Captain’s cabin. Liam knocks and pokes her head in. After a muffled exchange she turns and motions for us to go in.

Before we can take a single step Liam stops us and gets a hold of Niall’s arm, she goes still as stone and tightens her grip on my arm.

“Not you love, just Lady Styles.” Niall’s eyes get wider, if that’s even possible. But I couldn’t tell if it was because Liam knew my name or because of how scared she was to be left alone.

Liam continues, “She has to stay right here with me.”

“No—” I’m about to wrestle Liam’s arm off of her but Niall places a hand on mine.

“I- I’ll be fine Harry.” She swallows and tries to smile but it goes away just as quick as it appeared.

“Are you sure?” I whisper before sending look to Liam.

“I won’t hurt her. How many times do I have to say it?” Liam sighs exasperated.

Niall nods at me and squeezes my hand before letting it go, “Maybe you can talk to the captain and use a ransom to get us back home.” Her eyes are hopeful.

I take a deep breath before slowly going through the creaky doorway. The room is dark, the curtains drawn almost to a close. My eyes drift across the many objects strewn across the floor, closed wooden chests, an open map on the centered desk, in the corner a pile of jewels, and next to it a crumpled cream-colored dress. My eyes are glued to the dress until the door slams shut behind me.

I spin around and am met with a petite figure, shrouded in a black coat, tight trousers, and knee high brown boots. On their head a large, brown, tricorn hat is tilted just so it covers their face.

They take a step forward, and I take one back knocking my lower back into the desk. They take another step and I speak up, “D-don’t come near me!” my hand blindly reaches behind me for anything I could use as a weapon, or at least something to throw.

“Lady Styles, you seemed much more shy and apologetic when in the company of your parents.” They say with a smile. Wait…I recognize that voice. That sweet tinkle of a tone and the lips that it comes from.

“Who are you?” a stupid question escapes me.

She looks up at me, “Captain Louis, at your service.” Her blue eyes seem to shine brightly despite the low lighting of the cabin. Her smile is charming to say the least, and she is extremely beautiful in the clothing not traditional for a woman.

“I must say I felt a bit distressed to not have introduced myself properly to the daughter of the Duke Styles. But you ran off so quickly I was left in the dust.” She stays in the same spot, but she didn’t need to move for me to feel her invading my space.

“Do you mind telling me what made you take off like that?” I shook my head at the question, but I still didn’t answer aloud.

“Is it because I’m a lowly pirate? Unworthy of your time?”

“I…I didn’t know that you were a pirate.” My voice shakes.

She raises a brow, “If you had known of my status, would that have affected the conversation differently? Would you have stuck around because you crave the adventurous life that we have? Or would you have run off still?” she moves the my right, going towards the wrinkled dress.

“I still would have run.”

She stops moving and turns to me again, “Why?”

 _Because you’re beautiful_ , “I don’t wish to share why.” I didn’t notice how tightly I was holding onto the edge of the desk, my knuckles turning white.

“It is because I’m a pirate isn’t it?” she baits me, “because I’m not good enough to share the same air as a noble lady. One who could have any lord or boy she wanted. Because I steal from her kind and give it to the poor—”

“Because you’re beautiful.” I shut her up and grit my teeth. I don’t think any one person is above another no matter what our society says.

Louis smirks as if she got what she wanted, “I know.” She picks up the dress and oh my god her bum. While women wear petticoats to make their bum appear larger the real solution is standing—or bending--- right in front of me. Wear trousers. I couldn’t decide if it would work for every woman or if it was just Louis. No. It was just Louis.

She shakes the dress out and hangs it over the arm of a nearby chair, “I knew that was why you ran away. And I also know I’m beautiful,” she grins as she makes her way to the desk and I back up, “but most of all I know that you ran away because of you sexual desire towards me.”

My eyes widen and my heart begins to race, “How dare you! You can’t go around making assumptions like that! I complimented you because it’s true not because I desired you in any way!” That’s a damn lie, “And you don’t know me. I am Lady Harry Styles and I demand that you let Lady Horan and I return home!”

“Why?” she plops down in her chair.

“…why?” my brow is furrowed.

“Why do you want to go home? Aren’t you bored of you life of routine and strict guidelines?” she licks her lips and I can’t help but watch how her lips become wet.

I clench my fist, “No. I’m not tired of it. I don’t feel safe here and I want to go back to my family.”

She tilts her head and narrows her eyes at me, “Here’s how this is going to work Lady Styles. You can either join my crew willingly and enjoy the journeys we will go on, or you can be taken as a prisoner and can spend your days malnourished in a holding cell below deck.”

I would be lying to myself if the former of the options didn’t sound appealing—a fantasy of mine coming to life. But I knew sooner or later my family and Niall’s family would be sending the King’s army after us and we would be saved.

“I’d rather rot in a cell than serve under a Captain as rude as you.” I huffed.

“So you had to think about being under me?” there’s a glint in her eye.

I let out a frustrated groan and turn around to leave the cabin, but before I reach the door, Louis grabs my arm and turns me around. She shoves me to the closest wall and despite her stature she is deceivingly strong.

“You’ll regret your decision Lady Styles.” I’m suddenly conscious of her hand tight on my hip.

“Let go of me.”, my voice falters

Another smirk, “Do you really want me to, love?”

I take a deep breath, “Yes.”

She stares down at my lips before releasing me. She opens the door and motions to me, “Liam, show these ladies to the holding cell please.”

Liam looks confused, “But Louis—”

“Now Liam, that’s an order from your Captain.” There‘s only seriousness in her voice.

Liam hesitates before guiding us back towards the stairs to below deck. I spare one last glance towards Louis at the wheel. She looks absolutely majestic standing there, her short hair flowing freely with the wind. She looks back at me with a mischievous smile then she blows a kiss at me.

I hide my face before she can see me blush and I scurry to catch up with Niall and Liam. She shows us to a different dark room, this one is much scarier than the one we were originally in. Not to mention it smells awful in this room.

Liam moves to unlock a rusty looking cell in the corner of the room. She looks to us with eyes full of regret, “In you go.”

Niall and I go into the cell quietly. Liam locks it behind us and leaves without a word.

“What the hell happened? I thought you were going to persuade the Captain!” Niall sits against the wall of the cell.

“The Captain is a she.” I snap back at her

She throws her hands up, “That should be even easier for you! What happened?”

I groan as I sit across from her, “She was rude! And not to mention she disguised herself at the hanging and implied that I couldn’t even introduce myself because of my intense sexual desire for her!”

Niall gives me a look, raising her brow, “Well is that true?”

My jaw drops, “It doesn’t matter! We’re trapped here until our families send help for us.

Niall sighs, “Harry, we’re aboard the Siren. No one is able to catch this ship.”

I look to her before lying to her face, “Don’t worry, they’ll find us.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It’s been about a week since Niall and I were kidnapped. I’d been keeping track of the days and nights by scratching tallies into the wood of the bench with a pin from my hair. Liam comes in the morning and afternoon with stale bread and leftovers from the crews breakfast or dinner.

Niall is suffering, not from any illness but because she can’t sneak into the kitchen to steal snacks like she’s used to at home. She’ll go on for hours about how miserable she is not being able to move around much. Not that I can blame her.

It’s about noon when Liam comes into the room. Niall sits up immediately and stands up next to me.

“Come on ladies, Captain is allowing you a bit of time outside of your cell.” Liam smiles as she unlocks the gate.

“Why?” Niall asks unsure if this is some kind of trick.

“Don’t know. But if there is one thing I do know, it’s that you don’t question the Captain.” She guides us out of the room and when we see the light from above deck it nearly burns our eyes.

We see and hear the crew moving about, shouting to one another. But I see Louis at the ship wheel staring straight ahead. My breath catches in my throat as she makes eye contact with me. She looks to Liam then nods.

Liam then turns to me, “Lady Styles, the Captain would like a word with you.”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes and slowly make my way up to the wheel. I can tell where this conversation will go as soon as I see the look in Captain Louis’ eyes.

“Why hello Lady Styles. You’re beginning to look as dirty as a pirate.”

I bite my lip and look anywhere but her eyes, “Why did you allow us out of the cell?” I look down at my hands, which indeed are covered in dirt.

“I have a proposition for you Lady Styles.” I make eye contact with her, “Would you like to hear it?” she moves her eyes forward. I nod in response, “Very well. By tomorrow noon we will be making port in India. We’ll be restocking necessary supplies and whatnot and the crew are allowed to explore the city. Even you and Lady Horan.”

My eyes go wide as saucers, “Thank you—”

“As long as you are escorted by me.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's lots of talk about sexual preference/confrontation in this chapter. Just a head's up.

“ _As long as you are escorted by me_.”

“Why you? Why can’t Liam escort the both of us?” I look to Niall who is admiring the view of the horizon at the hull with Liam at her side. 

“Because Liam would like alone time with Niall.” Louis whispers to me.

“What?” I look back at her and she’s donned yet another smirk.

“She wishes to spend time with Lady Horan and woo her. She thinks she’s rather attractive.”

“What—”

 “If you’re going to question the sexual preferences of the crew members I’d find it rather hypocritical of you.”

 “Hypocritical?”

 “If you’re not willing to talk about your own preferences than we are unable to speak openly about ours to you.”

 “Not willing? You rudely brought up an assumption that I wanted to bed you after one encounter! I would have spoken about my preferences with you if you had brought the subject up in a less…a less pirate-like manner!”

 Louis turns to me, “And what is a less pirate-like manner, Lady Styles?”

 My face goes hot. I’m blushing and I know Louis can see it. I’d just admitted that I’d talk about my sexual preference with a woman; someone who had hit on me and there was no going back.

 “I don’t know…”

 “Lady Styles, there are rumors that go around the kingdom that clarify my suspicions. So any statements denying what I know about your preferences are deaf to my ears.”

 “Those are mere rumors.” I scoff

 “So you did not fool around with Lady Flack at the last ball?”

 My face gets even hotter which I didn’t think was possible, “I—uh…”

 Louis winks at me, “You secret is safe with me, love. This crew is close. We don’t judge one another – no matter what. And you could’ve been apart of it if you accepted my first offer.”

 I looked away quickly and stared out at the ocean ahead of us. Multiple things began to run through my mind. Why was Louis keeping us here if not for ransom, which she still hasn’t demanded? How have we nearly arrived in India so quickly? Have any ships been sent for us? Should I try to send a message to them while we port in India? I could. If I could just get away from Louis for at least a minute then I could write a quick letter and give it to a soldier who happened to be around. Or I could definitely clean the plan up before we port. But the first step of the plan is to allow Louis to think she’s in control.

 I remain quiet for a few moments before speaking up, “I accept the proposition.”

 “Sorry?” Louis tucks her hair behind her ear

 “I will allow you to escort me when we make port.” I say a bit louder.

 She smiles with a raised brow, “Good.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When we step off the ship the next day, Louis makes sure to keep a tight grip on my forearm. I try to shake her off but she glares at me to get me to stop. I roll my eyes and look up to see Niall not wearing a dress.

 “Niall what on earth are you wearing?” I look at the trousers and flowing blouse that she has changed into.

 “Do you like it? Liam lent me some of her clothes.” She beams and twirls for me to get the full effect. Her blonde hair swirls around her and she admittedly looks better already. Just a single day back in the sun and free air and she’s happier. I wish I were that positive.

 Louis is speaking off to the side with Liam in a hushed voice. I turn to Niall who is bouncing in her boots, excited to explore.

 “Niall,” she doesn’t stop fidgeting, “I’m going to try to talk to a soldier that’s been stationed here.” I whisper.

 This time she goes still, “What?”

 I make sure Louis and Liam are still engrossed in their own conversation, “When I get the chance, I’m going to find a soldier that’s been stationed here and I’m going to alert him that we’ve been taken hostage aboard the Siren.” 

She seems upset as she looks to Liam then back to me, “Harry…I don’t think you should do that.” 

“What? Why not?” I’m frowning now. 

“Harry, it’s not that bad being on the ship. I mean hasn’t this been your dream? All you talked about when we were growing up was leaving and sailing the world.”

“They kept us in a holding cell…”

“Well we’re out now. Maybe this is our chance to change their minds about us. Maybe they’ll let us be part of the crew!”

I hadn’t told her about the offer that Louis had made during our first encounter. But I was shocked at her statement—did she really think we could do this? And why did she want to do this? 

“I know what you’re thinking. Of course we’re cut out for this life! We know all about sailing! And I’ve gotten to speak with most of the crew. They’re not bad people at all, Harry. Please…please don’t try to send for us…” 

Before I can reply Liam comes back towards us and holds her arm out for Niall, who immediately hooks her arm through Liam’s. They stalk off together and I’m left behind wondering what the hell was going on. She was extremely happy, happier than I’d ever seen her…it almost made me feel sick. But I was genuinely happy for her; she wasn’t scared anymore. 

“Shall we go my lady?” Louis offers her arm to me and I give her look, “Oh come on. It’ll be like I’m a proper escort.” 

I hesitantly hook my arm through Louis and she slowly walks down the dock. I take note again of our height difference but don’t allow myself to be fooled. I recall how strong she was when she pinned me to the wall. 

As if she knew what I was thinking of, her arm flexed against my palm. I find my hand squeezing her arm back. 

There was a moment of quiet between us. I didn’t quite now what to talk about to a pirate captain.

“You know, Liam’s hanging wasn’t the first time I’ve seen you, love.” Louis says once we’ve reached the edge of the marketplace near the dock. 

I pause to look at her, “When else have you seen me?” 

“We’ve made port in your town quite a few times. Of course we always disguise yourself so there’s no way you’d recall me.” 

“I find that hard to believe.” I laugh to myself. 

“Why is that?” she asks. 

“Uh,” _I doubt that I’d forget those eyes_ , “you just have this way about you…” I lie quickly. But it wasn’t completely a lie. Louis was a female captain for God’s sake. It’s supposed to be bad luck for a woman to be aboard a ship, let alone own and run it as its captain. 

“Hm,” she seems to accept my answer, “anyways, we were in a market just as this one. I looked up from bargaining with a man trying to cheat me out of a large sum of plantains, and there you were. A young lady, walking along with your parents. I think that was the day I noticed you were different.” 

I find myself continuously giving Louis the same dumbstruck expression, “How did you come to that conclusion?” 

She inspects a few beads and pieces of jewelry laid across a blanket, “While you were walking past a few beggars. They weren’t actually begging, but as your parents walked past with their noses high, you stopped to give them some money. You were very generous in your giving, my lady.” 

I recall the same day. As Louis said my parents did walk past with their noses in the air, but not before telling me to ignore the poor people leaning against the booth. I did defy my parents and gave the beggars a great sum of money each. I left with a smile and hurried after my parents. 

“Well I believe in the goodness of man and spreading goodwill begins with one’s self.” I look at the same pieces of jewelry as Louis. 

She looks at me with what I can only presume is fondness, “I believe we are similar in that aspect, my lady. Even for a pirate.” She whispers the last part. 

I remembered her statement from our first conversation, about stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, “Louis,” her eyes immediately snap up to mine, “do you really only steal from the rich to give to the poor?” 

She smiles crookedly, “Wouldn’t you like to know, love.” 

“Well, yes that’s why I’m asking. I mean…growing up we were taught that pirates were only lowlife thieves who stole for their own gain.” 

“And what do you think?” 

“Well, so far you haven’t tried to rob anyone while we’ve been on the ship.” 

She smiles, her eyes crinkling at the corners, “Not yet, love. You remember those jewels and coins from my office?” I nod, “we’re giving the coins away in sums. Each member of the crew is given a small amount and their task is to give the whole amount away to those who need it only. We meet at a local pub to make sure they’ve given it all away and haven’t spent it on themselves. Not that they would, I’ve picked a good crew.” 

“But you still keep the jewels?” I ask. A certain piece of jewelry catches my eye. It’s a cordage piece with a flat silver pendant as the only decoration. I look closer at the pendant and on it is the intricate carving of a ship. It’s really intriguing and I’m about to ask the merchant how much it is, but remember that I don’t have money. I turn back to Louis who is still answering the question I asked, but I caught the last part of her sentence. 

“…basically, we give away everything we steal from the rich.” She smiles at me again. 

We’re nearly at the end of the market but there’s a large crowd at the entrance, just a jumbled mess of people trying to get in and out of the market. Louis tries to keep a tight grip on my arm as we maneuver through. About halfway through the mass of people Louis’ grip is lost on my arm and I’m by myself. I shove my way to the open space and nearly stumble face first onto the street. 

Strong arms catch me and help me to stand up straight. At first I think it’s Louis until they speak up, “Are you alright, Miss?” 

I look up to see a man in a red coat—a British soldier.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I'm getting a little bored. Not with the story, just with the lack of smut. So because I'm greedy I'm gonna spice up the next chapter, you've been warned!

_I look up to see a man in a red coat—a British soldier_. 

“Are you alright miss?” he asks again.

“Oh uh…yes I’m fine. Just had to wrestle through that crowd is all.” I try to keep my hair covering my face. Why? He could send for my parents or Niall’s parents—but she doesn’t want me to.

“Yeah, it’s the busiest hour now.” He assesses the crowd.

“Yeah, I’ve lost my friend, too.” I let the information slip out.

“Oh? What’s your friend look like? I can help you find them.” He offers and looks around.

It dawns on me that perhaps Louis ditched me on purpose. She must’ve seen this soldier at the entrance and ran off to hide. I think quickly, “Oh! I just remembered that if we got separated we would have a meeting place.” I look around nervously. My heart is racing and I feel my palms beginning to sweat.

“Oh, would you like me to accompany you there?” he asks.

“No! I mean, I’ll be fine. The place is very close by so I’ll be fine.” I needed to lose the soldier so Louis could come out of hiding.

“Alright, Miss. Have a nice day.”

“Thank you…” I scurry away before he could speak to me again. When I’ve walked far enough from him I quickly look over my shoulder to make sure he wasn’t watching me. He’d begun to walk in the opposite direction. I breathe a sigh of relief and step into an alley to lean against a nearby building to catch my breath. I bend to put my hands on my knees and breathe in through my nose.

“Quick thinker, you.” My head snaps up to see Louis leaning against the opposite building.

“What were you thinking? Leaving me there by myself?!” I stood up and propped my hands on my hips, pretending that I was not short of breath.

“You had a problem with me leaving you?” she smirks and crosses her arms over her chest.

“N-no, I—how did you know I wasn’t going to sell you out?”

“How did I know you wouldn’t run away?”

The thought hadn’t even crossed my mind. I could have completely run off. I could’ve told the soldier who I was and that I needed to alert my parents of where I was. But I didn’t. And I don’t know why.

“I don’t know…” I said out loud.

“I know you don’t, love. But I do.”

My brows furrowed, “Why?”

“Because you secretly want to be a part of the crew. You know deep down, this is the life you’ve always wanted. I’ve heard Niall; she’s very open about how much she’d like to actually be a pirate. She’s let it slip that when the two of you were younger, you’d run off to play pretend and be pirates instead of studying.” The smirk playing on her lips is beautiful, but I know it’s coming from a place of smugness.

I blink slowly at her. I still couldn’t understand why she accepted Niall and I so easily. Despite her keeping us in a jail cell for a week she wasn’t too bad to us. She fed us—horrible food but food nonetheless. And yesterday when we’d been freed from the cell and allowed to roam the ship it was a rather pleasant experience. The crew seemed very content with their lives, and kept talking about how good of a captain Louis was.

Some of the crew even talked about some of the adventures they’d gone on; robbing trade ships that contained stolen goods and returning the items to their rightful owners, stopping ships on their way to raid some poor village on unexplored land, freeing enslaved people, and more stories of the like. All of them were Louis’ ideas as well. And if being a part of a crew that stopped horrible and unjust events from happening didn’t sound good then I don’t know what did. Also, Louis would be there.

“So what do you think now?” her voice brings me back from my thoughts. I look up to see her staring at me intently. Like she sees the possibility of me completely changing my mind and running back to the soldier by the market and telling him who I was and everything that had happened.

“I think…I think I’d like to stay…with you…” I murmured the last part.

“Come again, love? I don’t think I heard you quite right.” She cups a hand to her ear jokingly.

“I said I’d like to stay.”

She takes a step towards me, “Good.” She looks towards the main street then nods her head in a general direction, “Let’s get over to that pub down that way. We’re meeting the rest of the crew.” She offers me her arm again and I take it, a little surer this time around.

When we get inside the pub, it’s expectedly busy and loud with the noises of yelling and laughter. Louis hooks her arm around my waist and grips tightly.

“Careful in here, love, men tend to get a little grabby in here.” She starts directing me towards a corner of the pub where I presume the rest of the crew is waiting.

Right when we pass the bar a man makes a grab at my arm, “Well hello, beautiful. Lookin’ for a seat?” I go to shake my head but he’s tapping the top of his leg with a bony hand, “there’s one right here.”

“Watch your mouth, Grimshaw.” Louis speaks up before going to stand between the man and I.

The man, Grimshaw, as she called him scowled at her then looked to me, “What are you gonna do Louis? She probably liked it, she’s blushing like a virgin.”

Louis’ jaw went taut; “You’ll do well to remember who I am and what I do to low lives like you when I’ve had enough of your shit, Nicholas.”

His eyes widened in response and followed the movement of Louis’ hand. She had pushed her coat to the side and revealed a gun in a holster at her hip.

Louis turns me to start walking again but as we do she keeps an eye on Nicholas, who turned back to the bar with slumped shoulders.

Once we’re a safe distance away I thank Louis for defending me, “No problem, love. Men like that should learn to respect women. You’d think after I’d brought him to his knees in a duel he’d learn his lesson.”

I look at her in confusion as we pass the last available table in the pub, “Where are we—”

She goes up to the back wall of the building and does a quick succession of knocks, in a secret pattern I’m guessing. There’s a small slot at Louis’ eye level that opens for a split second, then the creaky wall opens like a door.

I follow in after Louis, and see that it’s the pub’s storage room. There are several barrels lined up, where many of the crewmembers are sat upon. They are all having their own conversations, quiet ones but they were all still laughing and joking with one another.

I spot Niall speaking with a girl named Sophia. Louis is busy speaking with Liam so I go to sit with Niall.

“Harry!” she got excited, more than usual.

“Did you enjoy the market?” I asked after saying hi to both her and Sophia.

“Yes! I got you a few things as well!” Niall presented a canvas bag that looked extremely full. She first extracts a loose-flowing blouse that resembled the one she was wearing, a pair of trousers, and tall, brown boots.

“You don’t have to wear you dress anymore.” She beams at me, “There’s another room back there if you want to change. I’ll help you out of your corset as well.”

I looked down at the clothes Niall had handed me then down at my dress. The dress was getting pretty worn down, the edges tattered, and it was dirty overall. I nod once and Niall is grabbing my hand and running us to the separate room.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Once Niall has loosely tied my corset back up she helps untangle my hair.

“So, did you like spending time with Louis?” she asks as she gets a particularly large knot out of my hair.

“It was fine. We—well I—ran into a soldier.”

She freezes at that, “What did you do? What did you say? Harry I asked you—”

“Niall I didn’t do or say anything. You asked me not to!", She breathes a sigh of relief, “And I don’t think I would have said anything even if you hadn't asked me not to…”

She stops brushing her fingers through my hair again, “Why is that?”

 _It’s okay to tell Niall the truth_ , “I just think…that maybe… I want to stay with the crew, too.”

I can practically hear her smirk, “Stay with the crew or with Louis?”

“It’s not like that, Niall!”

“Suuuure, don’t think I missed the way she acts around you. She’s very handsy.”

I thought back to last night at dinner. I’d tripped on someone’s foot at the table and happened to land in Louis’ lap. She was equally as surprised, but was quick to help me up and her hands happened to be in very inappropriate places. If it was anyone else I probably would have slapped them silly, but it was Louis so I just blushed and apologized before running away.

We hear the murmurs outside get louder and decide to go back out. As I stand to follow Niall I feel remarkably comfortable wearing men’s attire.

Niall immediately makes her way over to Liam and clings to her side. I’m a little shocked when Liam leans down to kiss Niall on the cheek, who blushes in response. My eyes drift to Louis who is on the other side of Liam.

Her eyes are already on me, wide with what I can only guess is wonder. But she’s staring at me so I was unsure. Her eyes drifted from the boots on my feet to the mess of curls that I’d taken down from the loosely pinned-up style it was in before.

I slowly walk over to them, Louis more importantly, “Hi.” I barely say above a whisper. She places tentative hand on my waist and allows her eyes to drift over me again.

“You’re not wearing a dress.”, is all she says at first, “I mean, you look different. Good different. Not bad different. Like it suits you—not that the dress didn’t suit you. I mean—”

“I’ve never seen you so nervous, Captain.” Liam grins.

“I’m not nervous, Liam.” Louis sticks her tongue out at Liam then turns back to me, “What I mean to say, Harry, is you look beautiful.”

I blush, “Thank you…”

She clears her throat, “Well I’d better finish checking on the rest of the crew.” She walks away with a squeeze of her hand that causes me to squeak a little.

I watch her leave and not so accidentally glance at her bum as she does.

Niall and Liam’s giggles interrupt my quick daydream, “Shut up!”


	5. Chapter 5

We’re back out at sea and it’s Niall and my first official day as part of the crew. Niall wasn’t wrong when she said we were cut out for this life, we knew about sailing. Our father’s taught us against our mother’s wishes, encouraging us to finish reading instead.

Niall and I are sitting with some of the crew below deck, trying to avoid the sun as it was midday.

 

Another remarkable thing was how safe we felt here and well we got along with the crew. We were talking to Stan, one of the oldest members of the crew and one of Louis closest…friends? I still wasn’t sure what their relationship was. But Niall and I decided to question him about all of the tales about the Siren. We started asking him about all of the stories of all the people whom the dreaded Siren’s crew killed or terrorized.

 

He threw his head back in laughter, “We only spread those tales for fun. Whenever we raid a ship, we always wear disguises like masks, wear darker clothes, things like that. We don’t kill anyone but we damn near scare the soul out of people.”

 

We were just about to ask more questions, specifically about the song people would hear before they attacked, but Louis meandered over to us and threw an arm over Stan’s shoulders, “Don’t spoil it for ‘em, Stan.” She smiles then ruffles his hair.

 

I go quiet when I see them interact but I quickly recover by asking, “Spoiling what?”

 

Louis smirks, “We got information of a ship that left a day ago from India with stolen goods on it.”

 

“A day?” Niall questions loudly, “We’ll never catch up to them, especially if we don’t know where they’re headed.”

 

“Oh we will and we do.” Stan ominously replies and Louis grins at him.

 

 _Oh…_ I bit my lip then excused myself. I didn’t want to be around when they started making out or something like that. I went above deck, squinting at the radiance of the sun on the choppy waves. Despite the heat, the view was really beautiful, the light reflecting off the water like millions of diamonds sprinkling the surface. The sky is a spotless blue, resembling a certain set of blue eyes that I’d gotten the chance to admire more and more over the few days.

 

 _Oh shut up. You sound pathetic_. Of course Louis wasn’t into women. I should’ve guessed it. That confrontation in her cabin was just for her amusement and she just wanted Niall and I to be a part of the crew purely because of our valiant characters.

 

“It’s a bit warm out here.” I spin around to see Louis fanning herself with her large hat.

 

“It’s not too bad, there’s a breeze.” I turn back to lean on the rail. I was too embarrassed to look at her or be around her but I couldn’t exactly escape this situation with ease.

 

She comes to stand next to me, back to the rail, leaning on her elbows, “I meant to tell you, you know.” She’s fiddling with her hat, not making eye contact with me.

 

 _Here it is. She’s gonna embarrass the shit out of me and it’s only the two of us present right now,_ “Tell me what?”

 

She looks up, “That we were going after that ship. I know that the first time you’re on a voyage it’s scary.”

 

 _Oh_. I was relieved, I wasn’t ready to talk about the fact that I was attracted to Louis and she didn’t reciprocate the feeling, not now…maybe not ever. But on the other hand, I was a little disappointed that she could be naïve to the fact that I was attracted to her or she just couldn’t fess up and tell me that she was strictly into men.

 

“Um, yeah…I am a little scared. I mean,” I searched my thoughts to help fuel the excuse, “I’ve never had to fight anyone before. My father and I would play pretend as pirates. We’d use the baguettes from the kitchen as swords and we’d get in trouble with mother.” I smiled fondly at the memory and shielded my face from the sun as I looked at her.

 

“Quite the pair of troublemakers, then?” she asks

 

“Yeah, before he became cold towards me.” I sighed. I would always remember that shift from being best friends to near enemies.

 

“What happened? If you don’t mind my asking.”

 

I looked to her quickly, to admire how the sun beamed on her, allowing her lashes to cast a shadow over those lovely cheekbones, “I—I told him I disagreed with his stance on the less fortunate. I believed actively helping them was the right thing to do and he didn’t.”

 

Louis scowled and I could tell she wanted to say something insulting my father but she didn’t. Instead she placed her hat on my head and adjusted it, “There. Now your fair skin won’t be burnt by the sun.”

 

I smile at her. Who the hell was I kidding? There was a huge possibility that I could be developing an infatuation towards Louis. Who wouldn’t?

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

I was ready to be sick. When Stan announced from the crow’s nest that he could see the ship I felt my stomach clench uncomfortably and my hands began to shake. That was only five minutes ago but I was ready to pass out.

 

The sky was gray and the air bleak. Louis had called it a perfect day for a raid to which the crew all roared with agreement. I was currently I was frozen to the spot as everyone else bustled about to prepare. I was going through everything Louis had told me during our chat.

 

_“We usually try not to let the raid escalate to fighting, but when it does, just hold your sword in a threatening manner.” I laughed at that, “We’ll be wearing our disguises,” she tilts her head, “I’ll help you with that.”_

_I must have a perplexed look on my face because she laughs a beautiful laugh, crinkling her eyes and throwing her head back, “Don’t worry it won’t be anything complicated. Just some ash and some drab clothing.”_

_“Oh.” I laugh softly. There’s a moment of quiet between us where we just listen to the waves lap against the side of the ship. My curiosity gets the best of me and I end up asking a question aloud, “Louis, how long have you been doing this?” she doesn’t answer right away, “It’s just that you’re quite young and—you don’t have to answer the question if you don’t want to.”_

_She giggles as she watches me get flustered, “It’s alright, Harry. But you’ll have to be a bit more specific.”_

_“H-how long have you been a pirate?”_

_“My whole life, Harry.”_

The conversation ended there, Louis no longer wanting to talk about the subject and I respected her wishes. But I haven’t seen her since then and still haven’t gotten the chance to don a disguise. I decided to go find her but right as I turned to go to her cabin I ran straight into someone sending the objects in their hand scattering to the deck.

 

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” I bent to retrieve the items, clothing and a small tin, and sprang back up to hand them back to the person.

 

“If you’re this clumsy all the time you might have to sit this raid out, love.” Louis is grinning at me with a raised brow. She points to the clothes in my hands, “You’ll be changing into those and,” she opens the tin to reveal a handful of black ash, “I’ll help you smudge this on.”

 

I nod then went to head below deck, “Where are you going?” she asks before I can get to the stairs.

 

“To my quarters to change.” She’s shaking her head before I can finish my sentence.

 

“Go ahead and change in my cabin.” She nods towards the door behind the wheel, arms crossed like a proper captain.

 

“Uh, alright.” I go quietly. I couldn’t argue with the stance and pose Louis was taking on. Niall happens to pass me and sends me a questioning look, I can only reply with a shrug.

 

I’m quick to change once I get in the room, pulling on the drab, brown trousers and putting my boots back on. I’m relieved that my corset is much easier to remove now that it is not tied as tightly but in the midst of pulling on the black blouse that Louis had provided, my hair got caught in the collar of it. I put my forearm through the collar to try to loosen the hair but I found my arm caught in a fold in the material. I was stuck.

 

 _Oh god, how did this even happen? Why did this even happen? I can’t even put my shirt on!_ I was trying not to panic but it was already happening and I was getting flushed. I was half naked in _Louis_ ’ cabin. I tried to remove the top, but that only made it worse, now the top was covering my face and I couldn’t see a thing. Just as I was considering crying for help I hear the door open.

 

“Harry, you nearly finished— Oh! Sorry!” Louis is in the room before I can react. So I do the first thing I think of and fall to the ground. I sit with my knees covering my chest as best as I can. I hear the door creaking to close but I call out.

 

“Louis wait!”

 

“I’m still here, love.” I hear her laughing and doing a terrible job of covering it up.

 

“I--,” I shift uncomfortably, “I’m stuck.”

 

“I can see that. You need help getting the shirt on?” I hear her voice right in front of me as if she crouched down to talk to me.

 

“I think I should take it off first…” I feel a bit ridiculous, but I know I look ridiculous.

 

“Alright,” I feel her warm hands on my arms, “stand up.”

 

“Wait!”

 

She startles, “What?”

 

If my hands were free I’d be wringing them together out of extreme nerves, “Promise not to look?”

 

She stifles a laugh then sighs, “Yeah, I promise.” I whisper an okay, then she’s helping me up. It’s quiet for a moment before I clear my throat, then Louis hands are guiding me to spin around. Her hands slide from the skin on my shoulders to my back and I nearly shudder at the feeling. Her fingers, which I expect to be rough from labor, are soft and smooth and glide across my skin like—

 

“Silk.” Louis whispers.

 

“What?” I nearly yell, thinking I may have said my words out loud.

 

“Uh, nothing.” She’s quiet and her hands quickly reach up to help extract me from the top. I feel her tugging at the strands of hair caught in the collar of the shirt and I breathe a sigh of relief when I feel the weight of the shirt gone.

 

Then I remember I’m half naked and my arms fly up to guard my chest. Louis is handing me the blouse over my shoulder before I can say anything.

 

“Thank you.” I say once I’ve carefully pulled the shirt on. I reach for my corset but Louis’ hand is circling my wrist and holding it.

 

“Don’t wear the corset.” She clears her throat and let’s go of my hand, “It’ll ruin the illusion.”

 

I nod. I feel liberated, not having to wear the lace up prison for my lungs. But at the same time I feel indecent not wearing it…

 

While I’m thinking, Louis wipes a thumb under my eyes but not without some kind of warm substance smudging under his thumb.

 

“Just putting on some scary makeup for you.” She smiles. She continues to smudge the ash under my eyes. At some point she places her thumbs at the corner of my lips then slides them down my chin, down the sides of the column of my throat, all the way down to my collarbones. My eyes have fluttered shut in the process and when her hands don’t leave my neck I open them thinking she’s watching me.

 

I wasn’t wrong. When I opened my eyes Louis’ gaze is on my lips. Her own are parted slightly and her eyelids are slightly hooded. I unconsciously lick my lips and I hear a sharp intake of breath. I close my eyes once again and I lean in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it wasn't obvious already, I know nothing about sailing or boats in general. So shoutout to google for holding me down. Also I'd really like to get to the part where Harry and Louis get together but I'm biased...
> 
> Comments/Kudos/Feedback always welcome!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me for not updating in forever! I was having a small case of writer's block and of course there's school, but I pushed this baby out for you guys. Anyways happy reading!
> 
> (Also the song the crew/Louis sings is My Blood by Ellie Goulding)

_I close my eyes once again and I lean in._

 

She suddenly pulls back, “We shouldn’t Harry…”

 

“I—What, no…” my eyes fluttered open to see the ashamed, or disgusted I wasn’t sure, look on Louis’ face. She turned away to the side, not wanting to look at me. And that’s when I felt it.

 

Rejection. It was strong and heavy on my chest. It swelled throughout my body and I felt its effects on my face, burning my cheeks. I had just been rejected by her. Why? Why did she initiate this? Why did she want to stop? But I didn't ask these questions out loud. No. Instead I did the cowardly thing.

 

“I’m sorry.” I ran from the room and onto the deck. I felt nauseous and my breathing was still a bit labored and my face felt as if I was leaning into a fire. I nearly felt a layer of sweat breaking onto my skin and went to the rail to lean over and try to catch my breath. I closed my eyes and leaned heavily against the wooden banister, gripping it for dear life.

 

I let myself breath slowly for a few moments before realizing that we were minutes away from raiding another ship. My head snaps up to look at the ship. It was far away but I knew that soon enough we’d crush the thing, if the legends had any truth to them at least.

 

It seemed surreal. Just days ago I was pretending not to be fascinated with the aspect of being a pirate; not having a true home, not answering to anyone, being free, all of it. But now it was happening. This was a test for me. Testing if this is truly what I wanted, but if I failed I could die or worse, I’d want to go home knowing I wasn’t cut out for this.

 

I stood up with a final deep breath and turned back around. The crew was still running around, but I spotted Louis standing at the wheel staring straight at me. As much as I wanted to look away I couldn’t. I wanted to decipher the look in her eyes, was it sadness? Pity? Regret? And why would she feel any of those things?

 

“Harry! You look great!” Niall runs over to me, clad in all black—trousers, boots, blouse, and vest. Her face is also covered with black ash, in the design of a skull, the back contrasting with her pale skin and blonde hair. I smile and return the compliment before Liam comes over handing me a sword.

 

She explained how everything worked, Louis would start, she’d give a speech to scare the other crew a bit, then we’d get close enough for them to see us, but far enough for the illusion of our ghostliness to be sold, and we’d give them the choice to surrender or be sent to the depths of the ocean. I got chills when she said that.

 

“Liam, get the crew into position.” Louis called from the wheel. I willed myself not to look over at her and Niall must have noticed my change in demeanor because she gives me a small sympathetic smile and places a hand on my shoulder.

 

“Liam said we should stay port side, says she doesn’t want us to fight for our first attack.” I follow the pull she has on my arm and sigh. As nervous as I was, I almost wanted to fight, if I was going to go through with this, I’d want the full experience. But I would keep Niall company as she obviously didn’t want to fight.

 

“Alright, you lot, you know what to do.” Louis’ voice sounded out loud enough for the crew to fall quiet. She began humming a tune, a beautiful one and I couldn’t help but look up as soon as she sang the first note.

 

The song was unfamiliar, but entrancing the way Louis sang it. The question of whether she was human or angel rang in my mind as I watched her steer the ship closer to our target but sing flawlessly at the same time, singing like we weren’t about to raid a ship and possibly take lives.

 

Before I knew it, the entire crew was singing along with Louis, a beautiful harmony of all the men and women who must have been with Louis for decades to perfect this kind of chorus. I look around, noting Stan and Liam standing closest to Louis—and Louis, looking back at me, still singing.

 

I attempt to keep my gaze on her, but I feel embarrassed all over again. Instead I turn my attention back towards the ship that we’re approaching. We’re within hundreds of yards away but we’ve slowed to a stop, a few of the crewmembers letting up the sails. We’re far enough to keep the illusion going, but I know they see us. When I look over the shoulders of the crew, it seems the men of the other ship are frozen with fear. The few men that were moving were jumping overboard or dropping to their knees to pray. I assessed the reactions of each of the men, but one thing was evident.

 

They all knew what was to come. They knew what their fate would be within the next few minutes.

 

The crew stops singing and I hear Louis speak up, “Which of you is the captain of this ship?” her voice sounding a bit more low and rough.

 

A man slowly steps to the front of the crew, raising a hand shakily, “I- I am the c-c-captain.”

 

“Do you know who I am, captain? Who we all are?” I can hear the smile in her voice.

 

“Yes. You’re the crew of the Siren…” that’s all he states and he barely says it above a whisper.

 

“It seems you are not as brave as you were when stealing from those poor merchants.” Her voice is still rough, but her words come out smoothly.

 

“W- We have not stolen anything. The goods- they w-were left behind—”

 

“So you admit you took something that did not belong to you in the first place?” she cuts him off and the man looks terrified.

 

“You know of your fate captain,” she steps closer so he can see her a little better and a quiet gasp falls over the crew of the stray ship, they see her ghoul-like appearance, courtesy of the make up, and they must be able to tell she’s a woman as well.

 

She continues, “I will give you a choice then, comply willingly and hand over all you stole or,” she draws her sword, the slide of metal rings out against the cold air, “we will take it by force, and you know what happens if we have to do that.”

 

The captain nods without a second thought, “We will go willingly.”

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

The process of getting beside the ship and getting a plank across to act as a bridge takes much shorter than expected, but if their speed of travel was any indication, the crew of the Siren worked fast. Niall and I watch as Louis and the crew set foot on the targeted ship, making the men line up without uttering a single word, just their stares were enough to scare the men into submission.

 

The men are made to stay towards the stern of the boat and are watched over by half the crew, while the other half and Louis go below deck to retrieve the stolen goods.

 

Niall and I were quiet the entire time, we were frozen to the spot, not in the fearful way those men were, but frozen with anticipation, curiosity, the way one regards the hunt of an animal on its prey. They come back up rather quickly, hauling four large crates above deck with Louis following them all. But she didn’t come back alone; in her arms is a young boy, no older than four years old. He looks sickly weak, thin, and Louis looks enraged, her blue eyes resembling a cobalt flame.

 

She hands the boy over to Liam before turning back to the captain with newfound anger. Before anyone can blink her arm is bending back and launching forward, her fist connecting with the man’s cheek. The whole crew flinches and the man falls to the ground, holding his cheek.

 

“How dare you take an innocent child!” her voice is shrill and loud, the total opposite of the low, calm voice she displayed just earlier.

 

“He- He wanted to come with us!” the captain tries to stand back up but Louis kicks him back down, her heel kicking down against his chest.

 

“He has been starved and mistreated, you disgusting filth.” She draws her sword and slices before anyone can stop her. The captain falls to the ground red staining the wooden deck.

 

“Tie them up so we can return the cargo.” Louis sounds drained. Stan nods his head towards the crewmembers and they begin to tie up the prisoners one by one. Louis turns towards Liam to reach for the boy again but then it happens. It all happens so quick.

 

A captured crewmember somehow breaks free from the group and charges at Louis.

 

“Louis!” I shriek. I’m running towards the plank, but she’s knocked overboard, the man following her down into the ocean. They splash into the water and resurface quickly, but they begin thrashing about, fighting despite the conditions.

 

“Louis!” Liam echoes. I can tell she wants to jump in but she’s still holding the child,

 

I immediately jump overboard, plunging into the icy cold water. I land a few feet from where the two are still struggling, the man’s hands around Louis’ neck trying to hold her underwater. She’s sputtering and fighting him but she’s obviously getting tired trying to swim and fight him off.

 

I quickly swim over to them, managing to swing at him, getting him in the eye. It temporarily stuns him and he lets go of Louis to try to fend me off. He tries to grab me around my neck but I dive underwater dodging his hold. But I feel a grip on my hair, yanking me above water then plunging me back under and in my attempt to breathe I gulp in a mouthful of water, I flail around, trying to loosen his grip on me and I can’t think clear enough to free myself.

 

The edges of my vision go black, my lungs are on fire, my limbs getting so weak, but I keep fighting for my life. There’s a muffled yelling above the surface before the grip on my hair loosens and I’m being pulled out of the water, and as soon as I am able to breathe everything goes black. All I can hear is Louis screaming my name, begging me to wake up, but I can’t answer her.Instead, I slip into the darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about the long wait! I've been really busy with school and had trouble deciding my next moves with this story. Thanks for all the sweet comments and encouragements. I know this tiny little update isn't much, but I wanted to assure you guys that I have not given up on this story. Happy reading!

Louis' POV

 

I was sat beside my bed where she was lying and watched nonstop as she breathed deeply in and out. With each breath she took I felt more and more relief, air rather than the heavy, salt water she was ingesting by the gallon when that fool tried to drown her. Harry, sweet Harry, saved me from my possible death. She completely risked her life for my own and the feeling made me sing inside. But I couldn’t be completely joyful until she opened her eyes and I could give her my thanks and finally tell her how I feel about her.

 

Liam had called me an imbecile for not kissing her when I had the chance, and I knew Harry was disappointed to say the least. But I couldn’t take advantage of her like that. I’d already taken her away from the life that she loved so much. She was confused…

 

That’s what I had been telling myself. That she was the one who was confused. Deep down I knew I was the one who couldn’t read her feelings and that made me afraid. What if she didn’t really want to kiss me? What if she was doing it out of pity?

 

Her lips part slightly and I’m drawn from my thoughts just to watch the movement of them. She’s whimpering in her sleep, calling for someone I think. Her brow is furrowed and her fists clench around the thick blankets covering her.

 

“Harry?” I lean closer, so I can see her features incredibly close up. I brushed my hand over hers, her skin only moderately warm. I bite my lip and think about asking Liam to bring in another blanket.

 

I move to go get her, but Harry’s hand curls around mine and I freeze. I look down to see that she’s still asleep. My hopes slowly fall again and I go to sit on the edge of the bed. The exhaustion hits me. I had been waiting for her to wake up for over twenty- four hours.

 

“Louis…” My name leaves her lips in a beautiful whisper. It’s the most beautiful sound and I wish she were awake so she could say it again. I don’t even think before making my next move. I slowly lay down next to her. I let my hand slip out of hers, but they don’t leave her skin. I lightly let my fingers trail up her wrist, tickling up her arm, I pause at her shoulder and watch her lashes flutter before going still again. I bite my lip before brushing her hair away from her neck. I check to make sure she isn’t waking again before I allow myself an insane pleasure; I let my fingers gently stroke over her collarbone and hear something resembling a purr come from Harry.

 

I stop. It’s crazy, I shouldn’t be taking advantage of her much less when she’s asleep. I sigh and slowly sit up before checking on her once again. Nothing.

 

I lean down slowly so my face is just above hers, “Wake up soon Harry.”  I gently press my lips against hers. It’s an incredible feeling. Her lips are so soft and warm in contrast to her skin.

 

I pull away quickly when I hear her groan. I nearly tumble backwards over a chest in the process but I turn and plant my hands on the very thing that nearly caused my injury. I breathe a sigh of relief, glad that I didn’t cause enough noise to wake Harry.

 

“Louis?” I stand up straight as a board, then turn to see Harry, awake.

 

“Harry? Do you feel alright?” I rush back to her side and brush her hair away from her face.

 

She makes a face, showing slight discomfort when she tries to take a deep breath, “I’m alright.”

 

“W-what do you remember?” I ask quietly. I don’t want her to relive the awful memory, but I need to make sure she’s okay. I help her sit up, stacking the pillows to support her back.

 

“I…I remember you being thrown overboard by that man.” She looks at me as if she’s asking if that part was real, I nod and urge her to continue, “I remember jumping in after you. He—” she swallows hard, “he tried to drown me.” she looks down at her hands, “I also know that you kissed me just now.”

 

My eyes widen, they must look like plates right about now, “I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have—”

 

“Louis. It’s okay.” She takes my hand in both of hers. I try to slow my heart rate down before she says anything else, “Before the raid. When we were going to kiss…” she trails off and interlocks our fingers, “I thought that you didn’t want to kiss me. I thought it was because you weren’t interested in me…” she’s blushing now.

 

I shake my head and laugh, “Well you don’t have to mock me Louis, I’m trying to be honest with you.”

 

I laugh again, “Harry, you silly, silly, lovely girl. I wanted to kiss you. I just wasn’t sure if you really wanted me to kiss you. I thought you were…I don’t know, confused? I didn’t know if you were in the right mindset to make a decision like that. And,” I look her in the eye when I say this, “I don’t want to take advantage of you Harry. You’ve only just joined the crew, how could you be so sure of what you want?”

 

She bites her full bottom lip but keeps her gaze on me steady, “Louis. Since I’ve gone away from home I don’t regret a single decision. I don’t regret choosing to be a part of the crew, I don’t regret choosing to attend the raid, I don’t regret almost kissing you, I don’t regret jumping overboard to save you, and I absolutely don’t regret…being attracted to you.”

 

A smile creeps up my face and I can’t help but want to kiss her. So I scoot forward, bring my hand up to her cheek, and let my thumb brush across her cheekbone. She leans into my palm.

 

“Louis…” she whispers again. And once again the sound is beautiful and she’s awake and it means so much more to hear it now.

 

My gaze drops to her lips, and like a gravitational pull I fall towards her lips.

 


	8. Chapter 8

Harry POV

“Louis…” her name leaves my lips like a prayer. A prayer that she’ll finally kiss me.

She leans forward and presses her lips against mine. I push back immediately humming at the warmth of her mouth. Her hand tangles in my hair pulls me impossibly closer to her. She tests her boundaries by lightly touching her tongue against the seam of my lips. I respond by parting them for her, letting her know it’s okay. 

She’s not shy, that’s for sure. Once she knew she had my permission, she let her tongue lick against my own, her lips more frantic against mine. My own hands found their way to her petite waist and held her against me. Her legs straddled my hips over the blankets that were covering me, but I could feel her warmth through the layers of material. Her knew position caused her to raise above me, my head tilted back to meet her hurried kisses.

I found myself short of breath and whimpered, Louis pulled away quickly.

“Oh. I’m sorry. You’re still—you should rest some more. I’m sorry.” She tries to move to the side but I keep her caged against me.

“No. I’m fine. Stay.” 

She gazes down at me, with only the fondest of looks in her eye. She smiles and rests her forehead against mine, causing my eyes to close. I want to stay here forever. I want this same exhilaration. I want Louis to be mine. I want so much.

“I’ll stay right next to you. But you shouldn’t overwork yourself, love. You’ve just woken up.”

Before I can argue the door opens with Niall’s head popping in, Louis quickly flops down onto the bed next to me trying to avoid the awkward situation.

“You’re awake!” Niall runs up to me and hugs me. You’d think she’d be careful knowing I would have trouble breathing, but no she’s hugging me as tight as ever, “I’m so glad you’re okay. You idiot! Why would you do something so reckless! You join a pirate crew for a few weeks and you think you can do whatever you want!” 

She’s red in the face but I know she was just worried about me. She turns to Louis, “And you. I can’t believe you just mounted her after what she’s been through. Did you even thank her for jumping in after you? I—”

“Niall, calm down, please.” I urge her. She looks as if she’ll blow up any second, she’s so flustered, “It wasn’t her fault.”

She looks as if she’s about to continue her verbal attack but she huffs out a sigh then looks at me, “Alright. I’m grateful that both of you are alive. But more Harry than anything.”

“Niall” I scold her but Louis just laughs.

“It’s fine, love.” Louis adjusts her body so she can wrap her arm around my waist. Niall takes notice of the affectionate display and raises a brow at me.

“Love?” she asks.

“Uh—” 

“Niall? I told you Louis was watching over Harry and there was no need to bother them.” Liam walked in before I had to explain anything to Niall.

“Liam! Look how familiar they are with each other already!”

I blush at Niall’s comment and look to Louis. She looks so at ease, her free arm behind her head, a smug look on her face.

“Come on then Niall, let Harry rest for a bit more.” Liam has to get Niall away from me by wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her off of the bed. Niall gives me a look over her shoulder as if to tell me that a discussion was to be had.

As I slump back down into a laying position, Louis makes sure to place her arm under my head to support it. I find that my neck and back hurt quite a bit but my physical state couldn’t match the elation I was feeling.

I rolled to my side to be face-to-face with Louis. Her stare was steady on my face, full of admiration and something along the line of fondness. She wraps her arm around my waist and draws me closer to her, warmth radiating off of her through the many layers of clothing between us. I snuggle closer to her, tucking my head under her chin. I can’t help but inhale scent of her skin- naturally sweet, like the perfume of exotic flowers she’s encountered in her years of sailing the seas. 

Being in her arms was like a comfort I’ve never known. I felt at home.

Home. The kingdom. My mother and father.

My body goes stiff at the thought and Louis immediately takes notice.

“Harry, are you alright?” she strokes my back, trying to put me at ease.

I didn’t know whether or not I should bring this up. Would Louis be upset with me for asking about my parents? Did I even want to bring them up? I missed them of course, and I missed my home. But these past weeks have allowed me to explore more of the world than I had ever anticipated. My father barely allowed me to attend the hanging where Liam was supposed to be executed. Then again, there was a raid and Niall and I were taken.

“Harry?” Louis asks again.

I clear my throat before diving in, “Do you think my parents have sent someone after me?”

Louis goes rigid and her hand stops making soothing circles, “I- I don’t know, love.” She’s quiet for a moment before speaking up again, “From what I’ve heard about them though, I wouldn’t doubt that they have someone trailing close behind us.”

Her words didn’t comfort me at all. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. I knew that my father would send someone for me, and Niall’s parents would have someone coming after us as well. But in my heart I knew that I couldn’t stay on this ship with Louis for the rest of my life. Eventually I would either be rescued or retrieved…

Louis wraps both of her arms around me, sighing as if she can hear my thoughts, “For now you should rest. And don’t worry about that right now okay, love?”

By the tone of her voice I could tell it wasn’t the last time we would speak about it. But for now I would take Louis’ advice and rest.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When I felt well enough to stand and walk, Louis made sure to stay by my side the whole time. She barely let me stand to dress myself but I insisted that she at least turn her back when I did so. She obeyed reluctantly and I’m sure that she snuck a glance or two as I changed into new clothes.

The sun was high when we stepped onto the deck, and everyone was going about his or her business. But as soon as they saw me they stopped and ran over to ask me how I was doing and complimenting my bravery. I thanked them for their kind thoughts and Louis jokingly told them to get back to work.

Soon we approached the bow where Liam and Niall were sitting with a child. If I remember correctly it was the child Louis had rescued from below deck of that other ship. He looked much better now, his skin had much more color to it, but he was still very thin and malnourished.

Louis approached the trio first, and the child smiled widely when he saw her. Niall and Liam walked over to me as Louis spoke to the small boy.

“How are you feeling now Harry?” Liam asks. I quickly take note of Niall’s hand in hers.

“Much better, thank you.” I look to Louis to see that she’s playing with the child and pointing ahead at the miles and miles of ocean in front of us, “What about the boy?” 

“He’s still very shy. It’s only been a day but he’s already speaking to Liam, Louis, and me.” Niall smiles sadly, “He’s still got a while until he’s healthy though.”

He looks over at us then, and his eyes land on me. He says something to Louis, who looks at me with a smile, then waves me over. 

I approach them slowly, “Harry, this is Micah. Micah, this is Harry.” Louis tells the little boy.

He looks up at me with bright eyes, “Hi Harry.” His voice is soft as if he’s not used to using it.

“Hello Micah.” I kneel down next to Louis, “It’s nice to meet you.”

He looks down at his feet before quickly looking at me again, “You’re an angel, Harry.” 

I’m surprised to say the least, “N—”

“Louis says you saved her and angels save people.” His eyes are so innocent and hopeful and I couldn’t take that hope away from him. I look to Louis who’s giving me a tight-lipped smile as if he got caught being fond over me.

“Well then doesn’t that make Louis an angel too?” 

Micah’s eyes go wide then he looks at Louis again, “Louis’ and angel too! She saved me!” 

I smile before looking at Louis, “She saved me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suuuuuuppppeeeerrr long time since I've posted and I'm really sorry. But I've got some great ideas coming up for you and I want to promise to post more often but it'd be really difficult to keep it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise!

Louis POV

It’s been a whole day since Harry finally woke up. The ship wasn’t currently heading in any direction in particular but I knew I would have to set course for somewhere before the crew went mad. 

Speaking of going mad, guilt was eating away at me. I knew what kind of family Harry came from, and a family like that doesn’t just let their only daughter get kidnapped by a wanted pirate. I knew the King’s navy was after us, and if they caught us we’d all be dead.

I couldn’t do that to the crew. I would have to turn myself in and leave Liam in command of the ship. Harry would have to go home. She needed to go home. I bite my lip hard and stare into the dark blue hues of the night, I couldn’t tell where the ocean ended and the sea began. This decision was just as indecipherable; I don’t want Harry to go home. I want her to stay with me so we could be together.

“Lou?” I hadn’t noticed that Harry was standing so close to me, wrapping a recently tanned hand around my wrist on the ship’s wheel.

When I meet her eyes, they’re full of curiosity and innocence, “Are you alright?’

I manage to give her a smile and let go of the wheel to hold both of her hands in mine, “Of course.” The wind gently brushed past us, sending Harry’s long chestnut brown curls away from her face. I take the chance to stroke the exposed cheekbone, which she leans into after her eyes fluttered shut. 

Dammit, this is gonna be hard.

“Aren’t you tired? You’ve been up for days.” She asks softly. 

I couldn’t speak. I’m scared that once I open my mouth my thoughts will spill out and I won’t be able to stop them.

“I’ll lie down with you.”

That woke me from my pitiful trance, “Okay.” 

She laughs quietly before taking my hand and leading me to my cabin. I make sure to close the doors behind us and flop onto the when she tries to gently push me onto the bed. I shift onto my back and let my limbs sprawl out so I resemble a starfish. 

“You must be exhausted.” She begins to remove my boots, which I hear thud onto the floor a second later. She begins to undress me, starting with the coat I had on to ward off the cold out on the deck. She removes the sash I’ve tied around my waist, but hesitates to reach for the lacing on my trousers.

“Uh—Louis, I…is it okay if I untie them? I just think you’d be more comfortable.”

I smile at the bashfulness in her voice and I couldn’t resist the urge to look at her if I wanted to. When I peek down at her, she’s got a lovely blush going from her cheeks down to what I could see of her chest. Luckily for me, the collar of her blouse was rather loose and with Harry leaning over I could see more than she probably wanted me to.

“It’s alright, love.” Once she has my consent, I feel nimble fingers at my lower torso for a moment, the material of my trousers not as constricting. I don’t know what I’m thinking at that moment, the logical part of my brain must have shut off once I looked down Harry’s shirt, but I begin to wiggle out of my pants. I arch slightly before shimmying my hips to get them down to my thighs before Harry pushes my stomach down and forces me back onto the bed.

“What are you doing?” she sounds breathless.

“I’m hot.” Even when I’m tired I’m able to cover my tracks with a quick lie.

I hear her sigh, “Fine.” She yanks on the pant leg and gets the suffocating material away from my legs. I reach up to unlace the tie of my blouse before I finally feel comfortable. I let my eyes shut and take even breaths as Harry goes about the room, most likely folding my clothes and hanging my coat on my chair.

“You promised to lie down with me.” I remind her; I can barely hear my own voice, I must be tired.

“Alright, alright.” She lies down in front of me before and decides to use my arm as a pillow. I allow myself the pleasure of wrapping my arm round her waist and burying my nose in her hair, a scent of perfume and sea air mix when I inhale.

“Louis…” 

“Hmmm?” I murmur 

“I…I was thinking about my parents.” I tense at those words. Shit, she wants to go home. She doesn’t want to be here anymore.

“What about them, love?”

“Relax, Lou. I’m just telling you that I’ve been thinking about my parents, not going home.”

I really didn’t want to have this conversation. I just wanted to fall asleep with Harry in my arms. But I knew that if I kept avoiding the topic I would just feel worse and worse and I would lose more and more sleep.

“What about your parents, love?”

She turns so she’s facing me. I loved that. I loved that she wanted to be brave and face me as she voiced her concerns. I stared at her as her emerald eyes searched my face. I tried to keep my expression neutral, but I knew I had scared written all over me-- hell I probably stank of fear.

“I thought about how long it’s been since I’ve left.” Left. Not taken, “And when we docked and I ran into that soldier, and he didn’t say anything or recognize me…” she trailed off. I looked down at her and her eyes were misty. She tucks her face under my chin and I can hear her sniffle.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” 

“I—I really love being on this ship and being here with you but I just—wouldn’t my parents have sent someone by now? Don’t they care that I’ve been missing for weeks? Am I not important enough that they—”

“Stop that.” I cut her off before she can get even further into a dark space in her mind, “Look at me.” I brush my fingers through her hair and try to calm her down, “Your parents are probably worried sick and have sent a whole lot of someone’s searching for you. You are the most important person in the entire world to them and if it were me, I would track them down myself and hurt them for trying to take you away from me.”

She’s actually crying though. I was trying to prevent that but I made it worse, “What? Did I say something wrong?” 

“No. You said everything right.” And she curled even closer to me and craned her neck to kisses against my cheek, then another series of kisses to the corner of my lips. Then she was kissing me, and I could taste her tears. I know we need to talk, but I couldn’t stop myself from kissing her even if my life depended on it.

Her arm wound around my waist and pulled me to her so we were touching from head to toe. I guess we weren’t close enough for her liking because she pushes me back slightly so she can loom over me, our lips part for a moment so we can catch our breath, but it’s too long so I pull her back in to me.

She lets her hips fall against mine, her knees pushing mine apart. I slip my hands under her loose fitting blouse, letting my fingers dance up and down the smooth expanse of her back. Her skin is warm and smooth to the touch, much like her lips, which I can’t seem to get enough of. 

“Louis.” She rises up on her knees and forearms to look at me. But rather than keep her stare on my face, she lets her gaze go down to the opening of my blouse. I look down to see that the string has unlaced quite far down so the skin between my breasts is exposed.

I look up at Harry and see that her gaze is now transfixed on that very area of my body and her bottom lip is caught between her teeth. 

In a split second I make the decision to unlace my shirt all the way down and, while keeping an eye on Harry to see her reaction, slowly pull the shirt to the sides and expose my breasts to her.

I watch as she struggles to take in her next breath. Her lips tremble as if the words she was ready to speak keep escaping her. Her eyes meet mine for a second but go back to my chest before a whimper manages to leave her lips.

She sinks down and trails her lips down my sternum. She teases kisses to the tops of my breasts. Her hands slide up and down my sides, the material of my shirt felt like a horrible barrier that was keeping us apart.

I flip us over so I can remove my shirt completely. If I thought Harry was speechless before, this was something completely different, she was completely frozen. I bite back a smile when I see how heavily she’s breathing. 

Since she was too shocked to move, I decide to help her. I take her hands in my and set them high on my stomach, right below my breasts.

“Can—” her voice sounds fucked out already, “Can I touch you?” 

I smile, “Please.”

Instead of slide her hands up like I wished she would, she drags them down around my hips and sits up. She’s eye level with my chest and kisses my collarbones before making her way down. I watch as she takes her sweet time. It’s excruciating to watch as her plush, pink lips move centimeters away from where I want her.

Right when I look away and brush her hair over her shoulder, her tongue flicks against my left nipple and I cry out in surprise, gripping her hair tightly. That results in her closing her mouth around my breast and moaning out a sound that causes my stomach to clench.

“Harry.” My head falls back as she sucks harder and I can finally feel her palms slide up and cup my breasts. She hums before switching to my other breast but leaves her hand to play with my nipple.

“Love, can you look at me?” When she manages to get her mouth off of my skin her eyes are glossed over and her lips are even red and puffy, a red flush has kissed her cheeks and a thin sheen of sweat is forming on her chest.

Speaking of which, I wanted her to be just as naked as I was, “Can we take your shirt off, love?”

She nods and lifts her arms up. I laugh once before sliding my hands under her shirt and letting my fingertips glide up her sides and down her arms before throwing her shirt to join mine on the floor. I look down at Harry and see her still admiring my breasts before noticing how the blush went all the way down to the tops of her breasts.

I hum in appreciation at the sight and cup her in my hands, feeling the weight of them. At some point Harry laughs a, causing her breasts to jiggle nicely.

“What’s so funny?” 

“Are you just going sit there and bounce my tits in your hands or are you going to touch me?” 

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Lady Styles, your beauty and ripe flesh have distracted me.”

“I’m not Lady Styles anymore, Louis.” She smiles, but I can see a brief moment of sadness.

I place my hand on her cheek, tilting her head up so she looks at me when I speak comforting words to her “You’ll always be Lady Styles to me, all prim, proper, and pure.”

“Not quite pure,” she kisses the swell of my breast, “but still purer than the likes of you. An obscene, rum-seeking, sex fiend.”

I give her a gentle shove so she’s laying flat on her back, “I can’t argue with that.” I lay down on top of her, letting my face get buried between her breasts. I hum and press kisses to her hot skin. 

Harry POV

Louis’ lips glide across my right nipple and I have to bite my lip from making an embarrassingly loud noise. She lets out hot pants of air against me breast as she continues her assault and it feels just as nice as the breeze of the ocean air out on the deck.

Her breathing becomes even but she’s stopped kissing me. I look down to see what’s caused her to stop and I’m both enamored and disappointed.

Louis has fallen asleep facedown in between my breasts. I sigh before reaching for the covers and pulling them over us. I slide my hands up and down her back before kissing the top of her head.

“Goodnight, Louis.”

You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost a year later lol. I didn't want you guys to think that I'd completely abandoned this story, so I wanted to put this chapter in before it reached the one-year mark of not being updated. I will be updating this again later this month, because I have thought more about the plot and what direction I want to take this story in. Hope you liked this long overdue update!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *nervous laughs* I hope this smut is enough to make for the fact that I haven't updated in months? No? Okay, sorry anyways, happy reading and SMUT ALERT

If there was one good memory I had of my childhood, it was the soothing feel of my mother’s hand on my back. The gentle strokes would put me to sleep in no time, quelling any painful hunger I had from not eating for days at a time. I could almost hear the tune she would hum to me every night as my lullaby, surrounded by what little warmth I got from the thin blanket she made for me. I burrowed further into the soft pillow that my cheek was resting on when suddenly the humming stopped and the hand on my back came to a halt.

I slowly opened my eyes, realizing that the dream had ended since it was about time for me to wake up and meet the crew on the deck. But when I open my eyes I realize I was not resting my head on a pillow.

My cheek feels warm against the skin of her sternum and I can’t be sure if it’s because of the warmth she radiates or because of how flushed I am from slight embarrassment— I fell asleep on Harry while she was literally bearing all to me. I don’t move to look at her, but I know she’s awake. And I know she knows that I am awake.

I slide my had up from where it was resting on her abdomen and I hear the hitch in her breath and can’t help but smile at the sound of her heart beat speeding up, I could practically feel the organ jumping against her chest.

I let the tips of my fingers slide across the curve of her breast and listen to every pretty noise she makes. I let my thumb just barely brush over her rosy pink nipple and before I know it she’s gripping onto my shoulder tightly and stopping my hand from moving.

“Lou…”

I finally let my gaze meet hers and it’s a beautiful sight; her face is flush and her eyes have gone glassy, she’s biting at her lush lips as if she’s struggling to get out what she wants to say.

“Good morning, love.” I smile casually then let my thumb circle the hardening bud.

“Mmm, good morning.” She loosens her grip on my wrist, but keeps my hand in the same position. As if I’d want to move it right now. I do, however, move over so I can rest my weight on the bed, wanting to get a complete view of her.

“I’m so sorry love. I didn’t get to finish what I started last night.” I speak while watching my fingers glide across her impossibly smooth skin, keeping my breathing even while Harry’s is all over the place.

“You—” she gasps as I not so gently pinch at her nipple, the move to play with the other, “mmm you could make it up to me now.”

I smirk, “Is that what you want?”

She nods and licks her lips and I cant help but flush at the sight of them. So I lean down and press a soft kiss on them. I start of gentle enough, but before I know it, I’ve thrown a leg over her hips and she’s holding me close to her by my waist.

I break away, not too far, but just enough so that a hair’s breadth separates our lips, “What do you want, love?”

I can feel her eyelashes fluttering against my cheek, as if she’s confused for a moment, “I—I just want you to touch me. Please. I don’t really—I’ve never…”

I look at her, “Okay love, I’ll take care of you okay?”

I hear a slight whimper from her as she nods and I press a kiss to her forehead, nose, lips, and chin before paying special attention to the lovely, milky skin of her neck. She tilts her chin up, giving me more space to work with and when she moans I can feel the vibrations against my lips. I can’t help but smile. I’d been with plenty of women before, but I’d never quite felt like this. Like I was on fire. Like I could explode at any given minute. But also felt that I was completely at peace.

She whimpers again and I realize that I’ve completely stopped touching her and was just admiring her from above, “Sorry love.”

Her hooded eyes follow the movement of my lips and I think she’s completely gone but she still answers me, “It’s okay, Lou. Just keep touching me?” the unspoken ‘please’ is still there.

“Proper polite, aren’t you? Sometimes I forget you’re the daughter of a nobleman. You’re without your corset, you’re wearing trousers, and you’re letting a filthy pirate deflower you.” 

My words set her off and she nearly arches off the bed, “Louis, please!” 

I shush her, tracing my thumb across her bottom lip, “Be honest with me Harry. Was I wrong about Lady Caroline? Did she ever touch you like I only ever dream about?”

Her lips part as if she’s about to answer me but she shakes her head instead, “I—she wanted to, but it didn’t feel right with her. I—we only kissed. And we touched each other but not…we only…” her eyes wandered down to my own exposed breasts.

“Ahh, just a bit of fondling then?” I can’t help but laugh a little at my statement; even Harry bites back a smile.

“Nothing more, I promise.”

“Love, it wouldn’t matter to me if you were no longer a virgin or if you had three children out of wedlock,” she gasps, “I would still love to be with you.”

She smiles then looks down at my chest again. She takes a deep breath before looking at me then I feel her hands creep up my sides, tickling my ribs, then sliding her warm hands under my breasts to cup them. I keep still, letting her explore on her own. I watch her face as she lets her hands move about my body, sliding from my chest, to my shoulders, my arms, my hands, then she lifts my right hand to her lips and presses a kiss to my palm, then she takes my index finger and slips it past her lips.

I nearly black out.

My mouth falls open at the feeling of her warm mouth and I think of left this lifetime and have transcended to another when she closes her eyes and hums.

“Harry.” I pull my finger from her mouth and lean down to kiss her. There’s no patience behind it, but there’s passion and lust. I kiss her until I no longer feel air in my lungs and I have to break away. I go back to her neck and finish what I started and suck on the delicate skin there. My hand wanders back down to he breast and my mind is so clouded with desire that I grope her none-too-gently and she gasps.

“Sorry—”

“No, it’s okay…do it again.” She blushes but she still manages to ask me for the favor.

I smile and allow both of my hands to cup her and squeeze her flesh as I thumb at her nipples. She arches into my hands and cries out. My mouth is aches to be on her, so I lean down and press a kiss to her chest again.

“Lou, I need…” and she blushes. Instead of finishing her sentence, she wraps her legs around my hips and pulls my body down so I’m completely laying on her. She feels hot all over.

“What do you want, love?” I ask breathlessly.

“Can you…touch me?” she looks down, at where our bodies are touching. 

I feel my mischievous side come out, “I am touching you.”

She huffs, “I mean can you touch me.”

“You have to be a bit more specific, love, I don’t quite understand.”

“For Christ’s sake, Lou.” She cants her hips up and I can feel the heat coming from her center. While I would love to continue to tease her, I can’t ignore my own arousal.

I can hear my heartbeat in my ears and it’s almost like time is standing still. I let my hand slide down the middle of her chest, down to her stomach, down the downy hairs covering her heat, the down to the wetness that’s accumulated during a little playtime. I don’t apply any pressure, but she still cries out with my name on her lips.

“Is this what you meant love?” I finally brush across her folds and she looks like she’s on the verge of tears.

“Please, Lou. I need you.” And she doesn’t need to ask again.

“Darling, is it okay if I use my mouth?” She looks confused at the question, unsure of herself, “We can just try it, and if you don’t like it we can stop.”

“Okay.” 

I kiss her softly before sliding my way down the bed, leaving a trail of kisses down the same path my hand had just made. When I get between her legs she’s stopped breathing. I press a kiss to her center and she cries out again.

It’s a beautiful sound, and I want to keep hearing it so I kiss her again. I can feel her wetness on my lips and lick out to taste it, my tongue brushing against her ever so slightly and she arches off the bed.

“Looks like we won’t be getting to too much today.” I’m joking, but I know it’s the truth. Neither one of us might last very long for one round and I still had a duty to captain my ship. However, I’m determined to get a taste of her.

I surge forward, my tongue licking out against her and she bucks her hips against me. I didn’t realize that I had pushed her legs apart until I could feel the strong muscles of her thighs struggling to close against my palms.

I keep my mouth on her, licking and sucking, flicking my tongue against the nub at the top of her center and her hips continue to struggle against me. I manage to push my tongue inside of her and I feel her tighten around it. My own stomach curls at the feeling.

“Lou!” before I know it, her hands are in my hair and she’s pulling me into her, keeping me in place as I feel her muscles contract around my tongue then relax completely. Her hands fall from my hair and her legs fall on either side of me. I look up at her and see her chest heaving, her hands stationed on her breasts. She’s the perfect vision, the embodiment of a sated Venus. 

Once she catches her breath she reaches for me, pulling me in with her hand at the back of my neck. We kiss slowly, softly before she speaks up again.

“Let me…do you.” She huffs against my lips. I shake my head.

“I um…you don’t have too.” She looks confused, “Just watching you, god Harry, I don’t know how but it was enough.” 

She looks down before reaching down to swipe between my legs. She applies some pressure and I whine at the familiar ache I get after an orgasm. She brings her fingers back up and she looks mesmerized at the moisture she gathered. She looks at me, making sure I make eye contact with her before sliding her fingers into her mouth, moaning and closing her eyes.

I can’t believe my eyes, “Harry—”

“Lou I’d really hate to bother you, but we need a heading—”, Liam bursts through the door with timing that only Liam could have and within that half a second I’m pulling the covers over Harry and I and Liam realizes what she’s barged in on, “Oh! I’m so sorry!” and she’s gone as soon as she came in.

I break into a laugh and throw my arm over my face. I can hear Harry laughing as well but hers is much more breathless. I uncover my eyes and roll onto my side to look at her.

“We have to get up now.”

“Have to?”

“Yes, you see a ship doesn’t really function well without a captain.”

“Not even for a single hour?”

“Unfortunately not, as much as I would love that.”

She smiles, “Then give me another kiss before we have to go.”

I lean down without a single witty comeback in my head and kiss her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, sorry for lack of updates. School + writers block= disaster. But since Halloween is coming up, and this fic was inspired by a Halloween costume of mine, I wanted to make a month-long series based on costumes that the boys would wear. They're already written, I'm just waiting for October to begin :)

**Author's Note:**

> What'd you think?


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